German Tourist Attacked By Bear Central Romania

They said the three German tourists, together with a Romanian national, were camped in a forbidden area in Lunca Padinei.

 “(…) most likely the tourists had no idea, otherwise they would not have risked such an incident,” mountain rescuer Vali Bacanu said.

Cristoph Schultz, 26, was severely injured in the attack but his condition is now stable.

 “I don’t know how it happened, whether it grabbed me with the teeth or it tore me with its paw, I was asleep and I wasn’t aware of what was outside of my tent. We woke up and then the bear ran away. It all happened very fast, it was very sudden, only a few seconds,” Schultz told reporters.

According to the ambulance team that transported Schultz to a hospital, the German tourist was scratched and he suffers from ecchymosis (black-and-blue marks).

“He will undergo tests at the city hospital in Pucioasa, will remain under medical supervision and he will undergo surgery if doctors should decide it, based on the severity of his wounds. He suffered head, shoulder, thigh and leg injuries,” ambulance nurse Vasile Marilena said.

According to mountain rescue services, camping in Lunca Padinei area in Bucegi Mountains is forbidden due to frequent bear sightings. However, the German tourists rebuked mountain rescuers over failure to mount signboards in German in areas visited by bears.

Romania is home to about half of Europe's brown bear population. Recently, more and more bears have been spotted near inhabited areas, looking for food.

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